Burden
by It Is Your Destiny
Summary: Several months after Rey's arrival at Ahch-To, she and Luke must confront Kylo Ren and a few adversaries from the 'Legends' continuity. Post-TFA AU (Alternate Episode 8)


**Title : **Burden

 **Author** **:** It Is Your Destiny

 **Genre** **:** AU

 **Characters** **:** Rey, Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren

 **Timeline** **:** Post-The Force Awakens

 **Summary : **Several months after Rey's arrival at Ahch-To, she and Luke must confront Kylo Ren and a few adversaries from the 'Legends' continuity.

 **Author's Notes** **:** This story represents an alternate Episode 8.

 **Disclaimer** **:** SW is not mine. I'm just playing with the sand.

* * *

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARS

Burden

 _"Do you know what happened to him?" Finn asked Han Solo._

 _"There're a lot of rumors. Stories. The people who knew him the best think he went looking for the first Jedi temple."_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Rey remembered the crucial talk aboard the Falcon like it happened minutes ago. Now, even though Rey had been with Luke Skywalker for several months, she struggled to process reality. The one-time scavenger actually had access to the first Jedi temple. For three standard weeks, she had trained vigorously with Luke. 'Amazing,' she thought to herself. 'I'm actually here, at the temple Han was referring to. How could so much change in so little time?' Her musings caused strong emotion, especially as she focused on Solo. 'I better find Master Luke.'

Scrambling up a few rocks, the girl came to a serene little cove. Ahch-To was a world mostly covered in water, but the island chains featured many unique rock formations. This particular chain, which housed the Jedi temple, had evolved into a batch of coves lined with pristine beaches.

Gorgeous trees of green blanketed the edge of the beach, and Rey exited the foliage to stand upon the sand. She gazed out across the vast sea and witnessed a phenomenal yellow-orange sunset. Dusk upon Ahch-To could render some of the most awe-inspiring scenes in the galaxy. Although clear skies existed around the mighty western sun, elongated rain clouds were forming to the east.

Supposedly, Luke was still in the temple. He had dismissed his newest student an hour earlier for a much needed break. Coupled with intense meditation, Rey's time alone proved to be just what she needed.

Luke Skywalker had told her to meet him just before nightfall, in one of the temple's anterooms. The entrance was hidden behind some of the pretty cove's thick foliage. Rey took one last look at the sun reflecting off the majestic ocean and pushed aside some dense patches of tall grass. This revealed a mammoth rock which appeared out of place amongst the others. The curved formation was perfectly rounded on top and its sides sloped down to the surface symmetrically.

Numerous lines were chiseled into the smooth rock, near Rey's location. She inserted her trusty staff into a slight indentation upon one of the handcrafted lines. Using the Force, she pushed the staff forward. The central region of the arcing rock opened, revealing a dimly lit passageway.

Rey took a deep breath while preparing to enter. Just before she crossed the threshold, a light misty rain began to fall. Accompanying the drizzle was the sound of thunder off in the distance. Rey stared northward along the adjacent beach sporting a quizzical look. She sensed something familiar, but couldn't decide what it was. Shaking away the distraction, Rey entered. It was time to meet up with Luke.

Her thoughts shifting to Skywalker, Rey pondered the hardships of Luke's exile. She couldn't imagine dealing with reclusion and sorrow of that magnitude. It was three decades after the Galactic Civil War, and Luke had nothing to show for his triumph over the Empire. His new generation of Jedi had been wiped out by Kylo Ren. Seeking exile, Luke made the first Jedi temple his home, a necessity brought about by his nephew's horrifying betrayal.

It didn't take long for Rey to reach the designated anteroom. She leaned back-first against a nearby column and slid down into a sitting position. Torches crackled above her, and five minutes quickly passed. 'Where is he?' she thought. 'Luke's never behind schedule.' In fact, for the past few months, Luke had always been precisely where he was supposed to be. Adding to Rey's bafflement was the odd actuality that she couldn't sense Luke's presence.

Well, there were only so many places her mentor could be. 'Unless,' she mused, 'he's somewhere in the temple unknown to me.' Of course, there were numerous island chains on Ahch-To, but it took careful planning to navigate from one to another. Luke still had to be here, on this chain. 'Perhaps he trekked to the Millennium Falcon in order to visit Artoo and Chewie.' She puzzled. 'No, I'd still sense him.'

Another five minutes went by. 'Alright. I'd better look for him.' Searching the temple seemed pointless to Rey. She doubted he was anywhere that wasn't off-limits to her. 'Besides, Luke must be further away if I can't detect his Force signature.'

Exiting the temple through the foliage-covered aperture, Rey closed the unique rock with her quarterstaff. After realigning the tall grass to hide the secret entrance, she turned to face the beach. The rain had intensified and most of the sky was obscured by thick grey clouds. Night would soon arrive.

~to be continued


End file.
